French terror suspect says he encountered Indians in Islamic State dormitory

July 1, 2016

New York: A French citizen arrested in Paris last year over his connection with the Islamic State has told investigators that he encountered "some Indians", Russians and Chechens in a dormitory he was put in by the terror group

after arriving in the war-torn Syria, a media report said.

The New York Times, in an article about the Turkey airport terror attack, said the presence of large numbers of Russian-speaking fighters in Syria has been widely reported.

It cited the account of a French citizen Reda Hame, who was arrested in Paris last August soon after returning from Syria.

Hame allegedly told interrogators with France's domestic intelligence wing that he had been recruited by the external operations arm of ISIS and "assigned to create mayhem at a rock concert in France," the report said.

In the transcript of his interrogation, Hame describes how, after reaching Syria last summer, he was "first housed inside a dormitory that had 'a hundred people – Russians, Chechens, some Chinese, one American, some Indians'," the report said.

It said since 2014, the Islamic State has been trying to mount attacks in the West through a unit described in intelligence documents as the group's external operations branch, headed by the militant group’s spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani.

In the past two years, this branch has sent at least 20 operatives, trained in Syria and mostly French speakers, to

Europe and Lebanon, possibly because they could fit in more and assume a more Western appearance, analysts said.

It added that senior Russian security officials have estimated that up to 7,000 fighters from Russia and Central Asia have gone to Syria to fight, many of them joining the Islamic State.

According to the International Crisis Group, up to 4,000 volunteers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan had joined the militant group by the end of 2015.

In Central Asian states like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the recruitment of fighters for the Islamic State has been spurred by government repression against Muslim organisations as well as widespread poverty.

Last month, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group had said that the Islamic State had launched a new propaganda video that showed off a large group of Kalashnikov-wielding jihadists allegedly from India fighting against the Syrian forces in the Homs province.

The video is part of Islamic State propaganda campaign on foreign fighters in their ranks, the group had said adding that the terror group's division in Homs released the video on Indian fighters aimed at recruiting jihadists from the country to fight against the Syrian government forces.

NEW DELHI: A day after five youths, owing allegiance to Islamic State (IS) were arrested from Hyderabad by the National investigation Agency (NIA), investigations revealed that the group had procured weapons from Nanded in Maharashtra. Cash worth Rs 15 lakh and two 9 MM pistols were seized from the possession of group leader Mohammad Ibrahim Yazdani.

NIA's petition seeking custody of the arrested accused persons will be taken up by the special NIA court on Friday. NIA said it was 32 -year-old Ibrahim, an engineer, who was in touch with Syria-based IS handler suspected to be Shafi Armar. Ibrahim first tried to procure the weapons on the instruction of his 'handler' from Ajmer in Rajasthan.

"He along with Habeeb Mohammed (arrested) went to Rajasthan and was ready to pay Rs 65,000 but failed. The meeting between them and arms dealer was fixed by Syria-based handler. The duos were later instructed by 'handler' to go to Nanded and take the delivery of weapons," said a senior NIA official.

While the other members of the group collected Rs 1.5 lakh Ibrahim is believed to have accumulated rest of the money seized.

Investigators suspect that he may have received a part of the seized cash from his Syria-based handler through hawala.

NIA said Ibrahim was the 'key' link between Syria-based handler and the other members of the group. "He was always discreet in his operations and never shared the details about his handler with the other members of the group," added another NIA official. NIA said, according to the initial examination, the chemical seized from them was said to be triacetone triperoxide (TATP). The chemical in large quantity was stored by Habeeb Mohammad on Ibrahim's instructions. Habeeb, according to NIA was given the task to assemble the explosives after experimenting on it in a large vessel. The group was planning to prepare IEDs and had also procured a large quantity of nails that could have acted as shrapnel, said NIA.

NIA said the Syria-based handler during his interaction with Ibrahim introduced himself as a resident of Karnataka, who had travelled to Afghanistan and joined the Ansar ul Tauhid (AuT). He had also said he works for the Caliphate in Syria now. This has led the agencies to suspect that the hander could be a for mer Indian Mujahideen (IM) member, who fled India after the 2008 serial bomb blasts.

Armar's name first cropped up early this year, following the arrest of 14 youths by NIA from Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune for being part of the IS inspired Junood-al-Khalifa-e-Hind.

PESHAWAR: As a campaign in favour of access to education is going on around the world, authorities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are going in the opposite direction by closing down 497 schools in the region.

The closure of a large number of schools, majority of them primary schools both for boys and girls, is part of the Civil Secretariat Fata’s ‘rationalisation plan’ prepared in November 2015.

The list obtained from the Directorate of Education Fata shows that 13 schools have been closed down in Bajaur Agency, 105 in Mohmand Agency, 86 in Orakzai Agency, 58 in Kurram Agency, 28 in Khyber Agency, 23 in Frontier Region (FR) Kohat, 11 in FR Bannu, five in FR Lakki Marwat, 101 in FR Tank and 67 in FR Dera Ismail Kahn.

North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies have been exempted due to militancy although Orakzai Agency and parts of Khyber Agency were also badly affected by militancy.

Officials say schools were ‘unfeasible’, used as hujras, cattle pens

The self-perceived rationale behind the policy is that students and resources of the schools with less than 70 boys and 65 girls are to be shifted to the nearest schools in the area in a bid to improve their standard.

“Instead of wasting resources at a school having low enrollment, we have decided to shift the funds and teaching staff of that school to another government-run school which will ultimately boost the quality of education at that school,” said an official of the Directorate of Education, who deals with the plan.

“Some critics in the secretariat call it an irrational plan,” said another official, adding that the government should hold accountable all those officials, who had approved such ‘infeasible schemes.’

Zar Ali Afridi, a rights activist from Fata, said the government should take that policy back because it was against the children’s rights.

He argued that the terrain, the local culture and tribal rivalries demanded that if the government had the resources, it would be ideal to have a school on every doorstep.

“Instead of closing down schools, there is need to increase enrollment of more children in schools,” he said.

Interestingly enough, the implementation of the ‘rationalisation plan’ has coincided with the announcement of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, the chief executive Fata, vis-à-vis education emergency, having the sole objective to enrol around 400,000 out-of-school children in the next three years.

The enrolment drive was launched in April last and 45,000 students were enrolled against the set target of 150,000 out-of-school children.

Officials said those schools were not constructed on ‘need basis’ and instead, the reason behind their construction was just to bribe local elders.

They said majority of the shortlisted schools were used as ‘hujras’, while in some schools, enrollment was very low.

The officials said those schools had been closed down for a period of one year and the plan could be restored provided that local communities enrolled the required number of students.

Students enrolled in the now abandoned schools have been shifted to the nearest schools in their respective areas. Teachers have also been posted to schools that were under staff.

Under the plan, a primary school for boys is required to have 70 students, while a primary school for girls has to enrol 65 students.

“In fact, this is a merger plan and schools with low enrollment have been abandoned temporarily. The directorate will reopen if enrollment criterion is fulfilled,” said the official.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a policy of one teacher for 40 students at the primary level. The KP government introduced rationalisation plan few years and instead of closing schools surplus teachers were posted in schools that were under staff, but schools were not closed.

But the Civil Secretariat Fata instead of taking action against officials for approving infeasible schemes apparently handed over these abandoned buildings to the land owners who were already misusing government properties.

Political agents have key role in approval of schemes in the annual development plan particularly schools, basic health units, drinking water schemes and livestock centers.

Another official in the directorate said those schools had been closed down for one year.

He said if local communities enrolled the required number of students, then those schools would be restored.

Unlike settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas, local people provide land for construction of schools and other buildings free of charge. In return, the landowners are provided Class-IV jobs like watchmen and water carriers.

Officials in the civil secretariat admitted that schools were not feasible and the purpose of opening them was to bribe elders.

They said in most cases, schools were used as hujras or cattle pens.

The officials said scrutiny of basic health facilities and livestock centers was also underway and that unfeasible buildings would be closed down.

On Wednesday night, a school letter began circulating on social media from Christian school, King's School in Linbro Park. The letter, which was addressed to parents starts off with a recap of a substance abuse campaign and then seemingly the author of the letter goes on a tangent about a Muslim businessman who owns property around the school and built a mosque there about two years ago.

The writer of the letter, listed as Bob Fuller, Head of Student Affairs, then goes on to say that he prays for Muslim people because they, unlike Christians, have not been assured salvation and that Christian people have a special relationship with God, once more in opposition to Muslims. He ends the letter off by asking parents and the children to pray for the souls of Muslim people especially since the month of Ramadan is coming up. (He has his dates completely wrong on that front - Ramadan ends on the 6th or 7th July, yet he seems to think it runs from 11 July to 9 August.)

But what's upsetting many is that the letter doesn't only sound like the ramblings of a self-righteous Christian who believes only Christians will be saved. It looks like Fuller is also lamenting the fact Linbro Park has been "taken over" by people who are not white, as evidenced by the way he brought the many developments of the Muslim businessman next door to the school. By complaining about the "mournful stains of his song" (the Islamic call to prayer, apparently), he displays religious intolerance and white supremacy similar to what we saw when residents of Valhalla objected to the building of a mosque in the Pretoria suburb earlier this year.

#ValhallaMosque: When white supremacy is threatened by prayer

Many people expressed their disgust on social media at the way the school seems to be demeaning Muslims and advocating for intolerance of other religious beliefs, along with the general Islamophobic nature of the letter.

This letter by the Head of Student Affairs -The King's School Linbro Park is offensive. We need religious tolerance. pic.twitter.com/OTcPUtvDcj

-- Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 29, 2016

The Slander of Muslims in this letter from The King's School Linbro Park. It's disgusting... t.co/RyCtaI8gwc

-- Farah C Fortune (@fcfortune) June 29, 2016

The letter by the Head of Student Affairs, King's School Linbro Park is why Muslims continuously find themselves "needing" to defend Islam

-- Waseefa (@Cfa89) June 30, 2016

Panyaza Lesufi, the Gauteng MEC for education also weighed in on the matter, saying that he was "shaking in disbelief".

I am still shaking in disbelief! t.co/A3Bx7J3sFM

-- Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) June 29, 2016

We reached out to the school and Bob Fuller for comment but at the time of publishing neither of them were contactable. However, Yusuf Abramjee posted the following email response he received from the principal.

allafrica.com/stories/201606301195.html

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Europe

French terror suspect says he encountered Indians in Islamic State dormitory

July 1, 2016

New York: A French citizen arrested in Paris last year over his connection with the Islamic State has told investigators that he encountered "some Indians", Russians and Chechens in a dormitory he was put in by the terror group

after arriving in the war-torn Syria, a media report said.

The New York Times, in an article about the Turkey airport terror attack, said the presence of large numbers of Russian-speaking fighters in Syria has been widely reported.

It cited the account of a French citizen Reda Hame, who was arrested in Paris last August soon after returning from Syria.

WHAT does Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hassain, ex-One Direction star Zayn Malik, women’s basketball player Indira Kaljo all have in common? Their personal stories have been celebrated for helping to challenge Islamophobia, at this year’s European Islamophobia Summit in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

These names were celebrated during discussions at the summit, for being part of a growing number of international cultural personalities who are undeterred in identifying with their Muslim identity in the face of growing Islamophobic sentiments, especially in Europe and the United States.

Baba Vanga, a blind Psychic who died in 1996, has predicted that Europe will “cease to exist” after this year. Baba Vanga was very accurate with her predictions, with an 85-percent accuracy rate. Among her predictions, she was accurate about the 9/11 attack, as well as the ISIS attacks.

Vanga made a prediction while she was alive that Europe will cease to exist after Muslims invade Europe in 2016. She called it the “great Muslim war.”

“Muslims would use chemical warfare against Europeans.”

Last year, there was an attack by ISIS in Paris and in Syria. Vanga’s believers are very uncertain about the future of Europe.

NEW DELHI: A day after five youths, owing allegiance to Islamic State (IS) were arrested from Hyderabad by the National investigation Agency (NIA), investigations revealed that the group had procured weapons from Nanded in Maharashtra. Cash worth Rs 15 lakh and two 9 MM pistols were seized from the possession of group leader Mohammad Ibrahim Yazdani.

NIA's petition seeking custody of the arrested accused persons will be taken up by the special NIA court on Friday. NIA said it was 32 -year-old Ibrahim, an engineer, who was in touch with Syria-based IS handler suspected to be Shafi Armar. Ibrahim first tried to procure the weapons on the instruction of his 'handler' from Ajmer in Rajasthan.

"He along with Habeeb Mohammed (arrested) went to Rajasthan and was ready to pay Rs 65,000 but failed. The meeting between them and arms dealer was fixed by Syria-based handler. The duos were later instructed by 'handler' to go to Nanded and take the delivery of weapons," said a senior NIA official.

Jaipur: Actor Irrfan Khan has courted controversy by questioning the practice of sacrifice and fasting in Islam.

Talking on the sidelines of the promotion of his upcoming flick ‘Madari’ in Jaipur, Khan said, “The meaning of Qurbani is to sacrifice something which is close to you instead of any goat or sheep which you just buy to sacrifice. Before sacrificing we should share a bond with that thing otherwise just killing of an animal will not serve the purpose. Nowadays we have lost the relevance behind such religious activities and perform these rituals without knowing the meaning behind them,” according to Deccan Herald.

The Muslim community in Hyderabad’s old city had just woken up for the Sahar prayers during the holy month of Ramzan on Wednesday when news broke of the arrest of five local young men on terror charges.

The early-hour swoop shocked family members of the arrested youth but local residents said the arrests are part of a broader pattern of police picking up young Muslim men on flimsy grounds and putting them behind bars for years.

“Whenever there is a terror attack, the Hyderabadi Muslim is a vulnerable target. Except in a few instances, police could not prove cases,” Ayub Ali Khan, a columnist told HT.

He is not wrong. After the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts, police took hundreds of Muslim men into custody and named 21 in a chargesheet, keeping them in jail for 18 months. All were acquitted in 2009 with the government paying `1 lakh to each of the 70 arrested men. The same year, police arrested more than 50 Muslim men from the old city after twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat. But charges against them could not be proved.

Growing insecurity in Manipuri Muslims as state govt fails to take action against culprits

July 1, 2016

Imphal: Manipuri Muslims are in a state of high-insecurity as they are not safe in their own state where they are being subjected to violent attacks by tribal groups. A string of incidents took place in recent months in which Muslims were killed but most of the cases did not come in the media.

It seems that communalism is fast spreading in Manipur as the state witnessed a number on communal clashes in recent months. In the latest incident a 15 year old Muslim boy was killed in Thoubal district under Lilong Police station. Clash between two groups of neighbouring villages in Nungei area of the district broke out on June 27 that prompted the authorities to impose curfew in the area. The clashes took the life of 15 year old Md. Arif Khan s/o Md Riyajuddin who was a mere by-stander.

New Delhi: Former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Friday ticked off Pakistan for asking India for more proof on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and said Islamabad is citing excuses to ward-off responsibility of an inhuman attack, which claimed hundreds of innocent lives.

Asserting that India should not fall into Pakistan`s trap, Khurshid told ANI, “This is excruciatingly unacceptable. Excuses that are being sought to ward-off responsibility of an inhuman attack in Mumbai. And I don`t think this is the way to go forward and I hope the Government of India doesn`t get taken in.”

Pakistan yesterday demanded more evidence from India on the 26/11 attacks in order to bring the case to its ‘logical end’.

PESHAWAR: As a campaign in favour of access to education is going on around the world, authorities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are going in the opposite direction by closing down 497 schools in the region.

The closure of a large number of schools, majority of them primary schools both for boys and girls, is part of the Civil Secretariat Fata’s ‘rationalisation plan’ prepared in November 2015.

The list obtained from the Directorate of Education Fata shows that 13 schools have been closed down in Bajaur Agency, 105 in Mohmand Agency, 86 in Orakzai Agency, 58 in Kurram Agency, 28 in Khyber Agency, 23 in Frontier Region (FR) Kohat, 11 in FR Bannu, five in FR Lakki Marwat, 101 in FR Tank and 67 in FR Dera Ismail Kahn.

Five members of a family belonging to Pakistan’s minority Ahmadi community have been arrested for planning “acts of terrorism ” close to Eid ul-Fitr festival in the southern Sindh province.

The five persons were arrested after a bomb exploded inside a house in Badin city last night, SSP Abdul Qayum Pitafi told reporters.

He said when police investigated the blast “we found that acts of terrorism were being planned there.” “We have recovered explosives from the house which belongs to an Ahmadi family and arrested five persons,” Pitafi said.

In an interview on Thursday with a Kabul-based English daily, Pushtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Achakzai said that “K-P belongs to Afghans and they can live there without fear and irritation”.

At least 2,297 pilgrims died during the stampede on September 24 during last year's Haj, according to data from foreign officials, some of whom expressed concerns about difficulty in identifying the victims. Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769. It was the worst disaster in Haj history.

ISLAMABAD: The government’s new cybercrime bill may finally give the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) power to manage, block or remove content on the Internet, an oversight the authority has worked around for nearly a decade.

During a subcommittee meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Wednesday, senators and stakeholders took up section 34 of the proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) 2015, which deals with the “Power to manage online information etc”.

Karachi: Renowned Pakistani author and journalist Farahnaz Ispahani on Thursday tendered her resignation from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) post vilification compaign against her husband Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan ambassador to the United States.

In a strongly-worded letter addressed to PPP’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Ispahani said that she cannot find a place for herself in a party where space for many schools of thought, faiths, castes and creeds has shrunken.

On Wednesday night, a school letter began circulating on social media from Christian school, King's School in Linbro Park. The letter, which was addressed to parents starts off with a recap of a substance abuse campaign and then seemingly the author of the letter goes on a tangent about a Muslim businessman who owns property around the school and built a mosque there about two years ago.

The writer of the letter, listed as Bob Fuller, Head of Student Affairs, then goes on to say that he prays for Muslim people because they, unlike Christians, have not been assured salvation and that Christian people have a special relationship with God, once more in opposition to Muslims. He ends the letter off by asking parents and the children to pray for the souls of Muslim people especially since the month of Ramadan is coming up. (He has his dates completely wrong on that front - Ramadan ends on the 6th or 7th July, yet he seems to think it runs from 11 July to 9 August.)

Full report at: allafrica.com/stories/201606301195.html

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Six killed in Kenya bus ambush

JULY 1, 2016

"Police on the scene have found six persons shot dead," said police chief Joseph Boinnet. "The hunt for the terrorists is under way."

Boinnet said two people were also injured. It was unclear whether the casualties were civilians or police officer guards aboard the buses.

The early morning ambush happened near El Wak in Mandera county, an impoverished rural part of the country where similar deadly attacks in the past have been claimed by the Somali-led Al-Qaeda group, the Shabaab.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described Israel and the Takfiri terrorist groups as the two sides of the same coin that are threatening the world to the same extent.

"Both the Zionist regime and the Takfiri groups are in fact threats that are directed by the same powers at international and regional levels," Zarif told reporters during a rally in Tehran on Friday attended by millions of Iranians to mark the International Quds Day.

The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that the Takfiri terrorists and their supporters have forgotten the reality of Israel's animosity with the Muslim World and they have pointed their movements and measures towards Muslims instead of Israel, and said, "This is one of the biggest threats which threaten not only the Muslim World, but the entire world today."

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000556

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Forty More Terrorists Killed in Clashes with Syrian Soldiers in Al-Malaah Region

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Military sources announced that over 40 militants have been killed in an intense battle with the Syrian government forces in al-Malaah farms in Northern Aleppo.

"The tiger forces of the Syrian Army troops have played major role in recent battle against the terrorist groups in al-Malaah region inflicting maximum casualties on the terrorists," the sources said, adding, "Approximately 40 more terrorists were killed in al-Malaah region, which has become a de facto death trap for the terrorist groups."

Reports also said on Thursday that terrorist groups lost over one hundred militants in the battle against the Syrian Army troops and popular forces in al-Malaah Northwest of Aleppo Province during the last five days.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian fighter jets carried out several combat flights over ISIL's strongholds in the Southern and Eastern sides of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs province, and inflicted major casualties on the terrorists.

The Syrian warplanes targeted ISIL's centers near third oil-pumping station in Eastern side of Palmyra, which not only claimed the lives of several militants but destroyed their military vehicle.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000558

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Lebanese Hezbollah Smashes ISIL Terrorists near Border with Syria

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Lebanon's Hezbollah Resistance Movement, in a powerful ambush operation against the ISIL in Jaroud Qa’a region of Becca province, inflicted major casualties on the Takfiri terrorists.

Hezbollah's ambush was carried out the Zeitouni valley in the Baalbek Highlands near Jaroud Qa’a and the Syrian border-crossing at al-Qusayr.

Several members of the ISIL were killed or wounded and their military hardware were also damaged seriously in the attacks.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000516

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Syrian Army Continues to Advances in Eastern Ghouta

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army ground troops, backed up by the Air Force and artillery units, hit the defense lines of Jeish al-Islam terrorist group hard in Eastern Damascus and pushed the militants back from part of a key town in the region, battlefield sources said.

"The Syrian army men, in several hours of non-stop battle, entered a part of the town of Mayda'a, which ended in the killing at least 9 militants while capturing the Eastern district of the town," the sources said, adding, "If the Syrian soldiers win back the town, they will have effectively positioned themselves to strike Hawsh al-Farah from three separate directions."

In relevant development in the province on Thursday, the Syrian army and popular forces regained control of al-Baharia farms in Eastern Ghouta and broke the terrorists' defense lines on Maydaa al-Nashabiyeh road.

en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000359

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Army Repels Terrorists' Attack in Lattakia Province

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army troops repelled the terrorist groups' attacks on their positions in Lattakia province, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.

Meantime, the Syrian army and popular forces continued their military advances in other parts of Syria, including Damascus and Aleppo, over past 24 hours.

Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured during the Syrian army's operations in Syria's key provinces.

Lattakia

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000328

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Syrian Army Launches New Round of Anti-Terrorism Offensives Southwest of Damascus

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops, in a fresh round of offensives, targeted the terrorist groups' strongholds in Western Ghouta, inflicting major losses on the militants.

The Syrian soldiers stormed positions of Ajnad al-Sham in the town of Darayya after local terrorist commanders refused to lay down arms and turn themselves in to the government forces.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000275

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Millions of Iranians Stage Anti-Israel Rallies on Int'l Quds Day

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Millions of Iranians have taken to the streets in all Iranian cities across the country on the International Quds Day on Friday to voice support for the Palestinian nation against the Israeli regime.

Iranians across the country, including in the capital Tehran, alongside other people around the world are holding massive anti-Israel rallies on the last Friday of Ramadan in opposition to the continued occupation of the Palestinian land by Israel.

The International Quds Day was started by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in 1979 as a way of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and underscoring importance of the holy Quds to Muslims.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000244

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Illegality of Gaza Blockade Has Been Established by UN Specialists

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- On May 10, a group of vessels planning to break the naval blockade of Gaza Strip by Israel started its journey towards the besieged enclave from Sweden.

The “Freedom Flotilla III” stopped in several European cities and ports along the way to Gaza and was joined by a number of politicians, activists, journalists and artists from different countries. However, it was finally intercepted by the Israeli navy on June 29 in the international waters, and many of the people onboard were either arrested or deported. #FF3 was one of several efforts in the recent years to break the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military and IDF rendered ineffective.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950406001525

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Iran to Discard Nuclear Agreement If West Defies Undertaking

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called on the western countries to remain committed to their undertakings under the Vienna nuclear deal, warning that Tehran would withdraw from the agreement if the US-led West continues to defy the terms of the high-profile accord.

"If the western countries want to deal with the nuclear issue in another way, the agreement will be cancelled,” Larijani said.

He reiterated that the path that the Western is not paving the correct path and they are looking for exerting pressure on Iran by doing so.

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000589

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US-Supplied Syria-Bound Arms Found in ISIL Positions in Iraq

July 1, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi army seized a large volume of arms and ammunition, supplied by the US and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf to the militant groups in Syria, in ISIL's defense lines near Fallujah, informed sources disclosed.

"After the successful air attacks of Iraqi warplane against a long convoy of ISIL vehicles escaping Fallujah, Iraqi soldiers seized the cargo of weapons left behind by the Takfiri terrorists near Fallujah," the sources said, adding, "Notably, the M79 Osa AT rounds found unscathed in the scene were supplied by the US and its Persian Gulf Arab allies to the militants in Syria."

Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950411000488

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South Asia

16 ISIS militants killed in separate airstrikes in East of Afghanistan

Fri Jul 01 2016

At least 16 loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in separate airstrikes in eastern Nangarhar province.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the airstrikes were carried out in Kot and Achin districts where the loyalists of the terror group are actively operating.

MoD further added that a vehicle belonging to ISIS terrorists was also destroyed along with a PK heavy machine gun.

HekmatyarFormer lawmaker and leader of the National Participation Party of Afghanistan Najibulllah Kabuli has called on Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar not to act on the instructions issued by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence which accused of supporting the Afghan militant groups.

He was speaking during a press conference in Kabul today and asked Hekmatyar to positively answer to the demands of the Afghan people.

A Hindu priest was hacked to death at his temple in Bangladesh's southwestern district of Jhenaidah early Friday, police said.

It is the latest incident in a wave of suspected religious-based murders, despite a nationwide crackdown by the Bangladeshi government, including the arrest of more than 14,000 people.

The victim was Shyamananda Das, a 52-year-old priest.

He was gathering flowers, likely to be offered in prayers at the Sri Sri Radha Madan Gopal Bigrohomot temple, when the attack took place, Gopinath Kanjilal, Assistant Superintendent of Police of Jhenaidah district, Sador circle told CNN.

The United States is seeking to establish a new military alliance with Russia in Syria that would see the two countries join forces in combating jihadist groups, it has been reported.

The proposal, which was said to have been sent to Moscow this week, would mark a striking change in stated US policy on Syria, with the two super powers having operated largely on opposing sides of the war.

MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis Police are investigating a double shooting in the Dinkytown area early Wednesday morning as a hate crime against two Muslim men.

A group of five young men, all dressed in traditional Muslim robes, were in a car headed to Ramadan overnight prayers when they were confronted by the gunman at the intersection of 14th Ave. S.E. and 6th Street S.E.. at 2:00 a.m.

Hussein Gelle, one of two victims recovering from bullet wounds to their legs, told KARE the gunman fired at those who fled the vehicle, and then ordered Gelle and another passenger to stay in the backseat.

"He was standing about 10 feet away from the car, and I thought it was over. But then he started shooting again and got both of us in the backseat, shot us in the legs."

The driver of the car then sped away, and took Gelle and the other man to the University of Minnesota Medical Center for treatment. The attacker remains at large, but Minneapolis police are asking for witnesses to come forward.

A large-scale Rally for "Americans Against Terrorism, Hate and Gun Violence" was announced by prominent leaders of America's interfaith community today.

According to one of the Rally's organizers, Imam Muhammad Musri of American Islam, this Rally Against Hate is intended to show support for American inclusiveness and is in reaction to the increase in terrorists acts, the rising tide of hate speech in the American political discourse and the number of violent acts involving guns.

Embassies in Turkey show respect to victims of June 28 triple suicide attack

July 1, 2016

Following the devastating terror attack at Istanbul Atatürk Airport on June 28, the Embassy of Canada has changed the format of its reception for Canada Day, scheduled to be held on July 1, while the Embassy of the United States has postponed its Independence Day Reception for the same reason.

In a note sent to invitees on June 30, the Embassy of Canada said it wished to advise that the Canada Day event will take place as previously scheduled on July 1, starting at 7 p.m.

“This year’s event will be dedicated to the victims of terrorism, including the victims of the recent attack in Istanbul,” the Embassy briefly noted.

The Hürriyet Daily News has learned that the embassy staff will be wearing black, while the open-air dance set and live music planned for the original reception in the embassy residence garden has been cancelled.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 30 that Turkey had apologized for the shooting down of a Russian fighter jet last year, after Ankara said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident.

“It is also known that Ankara brought apologies for the downed Russian bomber,” Putin said June 30, according to Russia’s TASS News Agency.

A total of 11 suspected foreign militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were detained in Istanbul early on July 1 in connection with a suicide bomb attack on the city’s main airport, daily Habertürk has reported.

Istanbul counterterrorism police carried out an operation against an ISIL cell in the Başakşehir district on suspicion that they are linked to the three suicide bombers who staged the deadly attack at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on June 28.

One of the perpetrators of the Feb. 17 car bomb attack in Ankara was killed in an operation in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on June 30, security sources have said.

Mehmet Şirin Kocakaya, codenamed Şirin, was killed during a joint operation by soldiers and police officers in the Lice district and its environs.

The bomber was identified as Abdulbaki Sömer, who entered Turkey with a fake Syrian identity showing his name as “Salih Muhammed Neccar” in 2014, telling authorities that he had escaped Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) violence in Syria.

It has been also revealed that Sömer met Kocakaya after he arrived in Diyarbakır with a rented vehicle before the attack.

What We can Learn from an Indonesian Ethnicity that Recognizes Five Genders

July 1, 2016

On June 13, when a judge in Oregon allowed a person to legally choose neither sex and be classified as “nonbinary,” transgender activists rejoiced. It’s thought to be the first ruling of its kind in a country that, until now, has required that people mark “male” or “female” on official identity documents.

The small victory comes in the wake of a controversial new law in North Carolina that prevents transgender people from using public restrooms that do not match the sex on their birth certificates.

Because of the “intensity and speed” of people from regional countries going to join terror organisations overseas such as the Islamic State now, the threat of terrorism is hotter than it has been, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean — the latest Government leader to issue the warning.

The ideological influence of the Islamic State is spreading rapidly in Southeast Asia. The terrorist attack in Selangor, Malaysia demonstrates that the threat is growing.

After repeated threats the Islamic State (IS) mounted their first successful terrorist attack in Malaysia on 27 June 2016, with a bomb assault on an entertainment venue in Puchong, Selangor. Two IS operatives threw an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) into the Movida Bar and Lounge in IOI Boulevard in Bandar Puchong Jaya at 2.15 a.m., injuring eight patrons, one seriously.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — In its Friday sermon today, Malaysia’s federal Islamic authority told Muslims that it was necessary to get vaccinated as it prevents deadly diseases not only for the individual self, but the community.

In the sermon on caring for physical and spiritual health, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said many Islamic scholars have concluded that immunisation was not wrong and even encouraged as it is a matter of need and not desire.

“One of the aspects of caring for yourself is the prevention of disease through vaccination jabs to shield the community from exposure to life threatening diseases.